Putting is golf's great equalizer, a seemingly simple aspect of the game whose surprising complexity has vexed both amateurs and pros for centuries. But now, for the first time ever, you can learn to putt like the legendary Ben Hogan, the winner of 9 major championships. Recognized by many as the greatest ball-striker and on-target tee-to-green player of all time, Hogan's prowess with the flat stick has often gone unnoticed. But Hogan's proficiency on the greens was like none other when it came to sinking difficult putts under high-stakes tournament conditions. Hogan on the Green by John Andrisani presents readers with a comprehensive, illustrated analysis of Hogan's revolutionary system for sinking short-, medium-, and long-range putts on a variety of surfaces. Complete with easy-to-follow instructions for setup and stroke techniques, as well as tips on putting strategy, practice, and mastering the mental game, this book is a unique and invaluable resource for those looking to perfect their putting. With anecdotal recollections and instructional commentary from those who knew Hogan best, including 1964 US Open champion Ken Venturi and Herbert Warren Wind, Hogan's collaborator on his classic 1957 bestseller, Five Lessons, Hogan on the Green also includes a host of practice drills and a special section of putting lessons from renowned golf coach Claude "Butch" Harmon Jr. John Andrisani is the former senior editor of instruction at Golf magazine and the author or co-author of more than 30 books of golf instruction, including Jim Hardy's The Plane Truth for Golfers , America's bestselling golf instructional of 2005. He lives in Central Florida. CHAPTER 1 THE PUTTING MYSTIQUE Ben Hogan once, sarcastically, called putting "another game," but as he matured as a golfer he gained respect for the ground game and the art of rolling the rock with the flat stick. My writing career spans 35 years, first as a freelance writer of golf articles, followed by 5 years working in London as a golf columnist for the Surrey County Magazine while working concurrently as an assistant editor of the weekly publication Golf Illustrated, the first-ever golf magazine, and last but by no means least, a 15-year stint as senior editor of instruction at Golf  Magazine. During this period of time, I can say, proudly, that I've collaborated with the world's best golf teachers and top tour professionals on instructional articles and how-to books, covering everything from full-swing technique to fairway iron play, from trouble play shots to power-driving methods, from short game to putting tips. When it comes to putting, I've observed and picked the brains of some the game's most talented and accomplished putters, including Ben Crenshaw, Isao Aoki, Billy Casper, Gary Player, Bob Charles, Jan Stephenson, and Seve Ballesteros, in addition to lesser-known but supremely skilled putters like Morris Hatalsky and John Garner. I have also had the opportunity to work with Dave Pelz, golf's foremost putting guru, and to interview Stan Utley, the famed pro and short game expert, and glean insights from their vast knowledge of the subject. In wanting to set the record straight as to the truth about Hogan's putting skills, and the historical significance of the innovative four-stroke putting system this talented Texan depended on to hit winning putts and set scoring records in major championships, I did some meditating on the best orthodox and unorthodox methods of the past and present, as Hogan himself had done during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. In the process, I discovered an interesting irony having to do, particularly, with today's popular putting trends. Once I started seriously looking at all of the present putting styles being pitched as unique, such as the cross-handed technique employed by PGA Tour pro and 2003 United States Open Champion Jim Furyk, and went back in history to examine these methods, I realized that the unorthodox methods being presented as new were, by and large, old hat and merely enjoying a revival. To make my point straightaway, Ben Hogan had even tried the cross- handed putting method, decades before Furyk. What's more, Hogan had invented new ways to putt that few golf professionals and golf experts took note of, largely because they lacked the "eye" to spot nuances in Hogan's putting actions and, too, because Hogan's unique, sometimes unorthodox techniques failed to fall in line with the common beliefs and teachings of golf instructors of the day. For these reasons, Hogan's system has never been revealed or written about until now. After conducting my own focus groups composed of public- and private-course golfers and reviewing data based on surveys conducted by leading golf publications, golf equipment companies, and national golf organizations, I learned that average recreational golfers miss a high number of short putts as well as three-putt from the 25- to 50-feet range a few times per round of 18 holes.